1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to travel trailers and in particular relates to travel trailers that are adapted to expand in size so as to increase the effective interior area of the travel trailer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recreational vehicles (RV) are becoming increasingly popular with people who wish to retain the comforts and conveniences of home while spending extended periods of time away at remote locations. In response to consumer demand, manufacturers of travel trailers have developed increasingly larger travel trailers. However, state and federal laws limit the dimensions of travel trailers that can be transported on public roads, thereby limiting the living space within the travel trailer. In particular, current regulations specify a maximum length, otherwise known as the maximum allowed length, of highway bound travel trailers to be no greater than 40 feet. Furthermore, current regulations specify a maximum width, otherwise known as the maximum allowed width, of highway bound travel trailers to be no greater than 8.5 feet. Thus, the travel trailer industry has devoted considerable resources to develop improved travel trailers so as to increase the living space of the travel trailer in a manner that is consistent with the foregoing size restrictions.
As such, floor plans in most travel trailers are configured to maximize the use of available living space for essential living areas such as the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. Typically, other rooms that are common in houses are sacrificed such that the limited floor space within a trailer can be reserved for these essential living areas. However, since many people who buy large fifth wheel trailers are using these trailers as a more or less permanent residence, the loss of rooms, such as walk in closets and the like creates a less comfortable living arrangement.
This space constraint within the travel trailer makes it essentially impractical for manufacturers to install space consuming amenities such as walk-in closets that are usually occupied only on an occasional basis. Thus, walk-in closets are generally not included in the floor plans of conventional recreational vehicles known in the art. Consequently, people who are accustomed to spacious walk-in closets at home are deprived of the convenience of having access to similarly sized closets in the recreational vehicle.
In a typical fifth wheel trailer layout, the bedroom is located at the far forward end of the travel trailer. The main living section, which incorporates living areas, kitchens and the like are commonly located towards the rear of the travel trailer and the bathroom is typically located between the bedroom and living room. This results in the front of the trailer essentially functioning as a private bedroom suite. However, towards the front of the trailer, the interior height dimension is typically the smallest which results in an overall reduction in the total volume of the trailer in this private bedroom area.
As a consequence, storage space for clothing, which in houses is typically stored adjacent the bedroom and bathroom is quite limited. This results in the occupants of the trailer either limiting the amount of clothing they take in the trailer or storing some of their clothes in the larger main living section of the trailer. However, many people do not want to store their clothes in a more common area of the trailer which is not adjacent the bedroom or bathroom.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that there is an on-going need for an improved travel trailer with a layout that permits large walk in closets for the convenience of the occupants. To this end, there is a further need for a layout that will permit the existence of these walk-in closets in the front of a fifth wheel trailer adjacent a bedroom and bathroom.
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that there is a need for an improved travel trailer having an interior area that includes a walk-in closet, To this end, it will be appreciated that there is also a need for a travel trailer with an extendable housing that encompasses a walk-in closet.
The aforementioned needs are satisfied by the travel trailer of the present invention comprising a frame, a set of wheels attached to the frame to permit rolling movement of the trailer over the ground, a multilevel floor attached to the frame, wherein the multilevel floor defines the inner living space of the trailer and wherein the multilevel floor includes a first level positioned at a first height above the plurality of wheels and a second level positioned at a second height above the plurality of wheels, and a main housing comprising of a plurality of walls mounted above the frame that enclose the inner living space of the trailer.
Furthermore, the travel trailer comprises an extendable housing assembly attached to a first wall of the plurality of walls of the trailer wherein the extendable housing assembly includes a multilevel floor having a first and a second level and a plurality of walls mounted at the outer edges of the floor. Preferably, the extendable housing assembly is movable between a retracted configuration and a deployed configuration. The extendable housing in one embodiment expands the livable floor space in the area adjacent the front of the trailer. As such, the livable floor space adjacent the bedroom and bathrooms is thus expanded thereby allowing a walk-in closet to be included in this area of the trailer without a decrease in size of the bathroom area or bedroom area.
In one embodiment, the first level comprises a walk-in closet wherein the walkin closet is positioned within the extendable housing assembly so that when the extendable housing is in a deployed configuration, a portion of the walk-in closet is positioned outside the first wall of the trailer. However, due to the increase in floor space resulting from the multi-level slide out, the walk-in closet can be positioned in the main portion of he housing without loss of floor space for the bedroom or bathroom and without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
In one embodiment, the walk-in closet comprises at least 21 square feet of space. In another embodiment, the area of the walk-in closet is preferably at least 4% of the inner living space of the travel trailer, more preferably at least 5%. Furthermore, the walk-in closet comprises a door covering an opening sufficiently large for an individual to enter. Inside the walk-in closet, there is an area for individuals to hang articles of clothing and store personal items.
Preferably, there are at least two parallel rods that extend across the ceiling of the closet and are adapted for hanging articles of clothing. Moreover, the walk-in closet also comprises an access space sufficiently large so that individuals can change clothes inside the closet and move freely inside the closet. In another embodiment, the second level of the extendable housing comprises a sleeping area having a queen size bed. Advantageously, the travel trailer of the preferred embodiment provides individuals the convenience of having a spacious walk-in closet where they can store their personal belongings and yet still be able to move freely inside. Furthermore, the travel trailer provides a spacious walk-in closet without sacrificing any living space that is typically available in most travel trailers.
These and other objects and advantages will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.